Mother Knows Beast
by Fegerrific
Summary: As Scooby's birthday lingers near, the gang heads on a cross-country trip to deliver invitations to all their dear friends. But an unscheduled stop leads to a juicy mystery at an ancient shipwreck, where the wailing ghost of a mother haunts the area, looking for her long-lost daughter. Based on an idea by GemYin
1. Many Moons Ago

With a clap of thunder, a massive wave washed over the deck of the sailing ship being tossed through the storm. Sheets of rain hammered against the sails; gusts of wind ripped violently through the canvas.

"Mother! HELP!" came a shout over the howling wind. A tiny dark-haired girl in a pink party dress clutched desperately to the ship's railing to avoid being tossed into the churning surf.

The girl's mother, an elderly woman in a gray dress, gingerly made her way to her daughter. "I'm coming, love!" she tried to shout, but her cry was swallowed by the storm.

"Mother, I'm scared!"

"Hold on, my child," Mother soothed. "I'm on my way." But as mother and child reached for each other, the ship's railing suddenly gave way, sending the little girl into the icy water. She quickly vanished in the crashing waves. "NO! MY BABY!"

With a mighty crash, the ship slammed into a rock hidden under the water, sending its passengers helplessly flying around the deck. As the captain struggled to regain control, the ship inexorably began to sink into the stormy sea.

"MY BABY! Please, help!" the woman's cries intensified as the ship succumbed to the crashing waves and vanished under the sea, carrying all its passengers to a watery grave.


	2. Special Delivery

The Mystery Machine screeched out of Mariawood Mall's parking lot and headed towards a small suburb just outside of Orlando.

"Rhis risn't ra rhay rhome," Scooby remarked, leaning his head out the window to catch the breeze.

"It's not," Velma replied cryptically.

"So, like, where are we going now?" Shaggy asked from the backseat, hoping that the answer would not include an ancient curse or a vicious hell-beast.

"Well, we don't have any cases scheduled, so I thought we'd visit some of our old friends down here," Fred remarked, beeping his horn at a fat grey pigeon in the road.

"Like the Squalls," Daphne finished. "Here's their house."

The Mystery Machine pulled up in front of a tract house that looked like all the others in the neighborhood – except this one's front lawn was covered with kiddie toys for their daughter.

"Well, as I live and breathe, it's Mystery Incorporated!" Terrence Squall called, hobbling across the yard out to the Mystery Machine. "What brings you all here?"

"Hi, Mr. Squall!" Fred called back. "We were in the area and thought we'd swing by. Is this a bad time?"

Terrence guffawed. "C'mon in. The lovebirds are in back."

Mystery Incorporated was glad to see Cam and Cindy Squall, who they'd helped unmask a snow monster menacing their ski lodge. (**A/N: See **_**Snow Place to Run **_**for all the details.) **While Scooby made funny faces to make baby Madison laugh, the rest of Mystery Incorporated filled the Squalls in on Scooby's birthday party.

"Well it was nice seeing the Squalls again," Daphne remarked once the gang had clambered into the Mystery Machine. "Where are we going next?"

"Hmmm…let's see…" Velma opened her laptop and launched her web browser. Pursing her lips, she typed an address into the search bar. "If this website is correct, I think we can see one more of our old friends in this area. Head to the coast, Fred."


	3. Ghost Sightings

As the Mystery Machine pulled into the makeshift gravel parking lot by the beach, they noticed a familiar sandy haired man in a wetsuit arguing with a raven-haired man in a brown suit. "No way! No how! I don't care how much you're offering, there's no way I'm working in a haunted shipwreck," the sandy haired man was yelling.

"Now, Mr. Morris, please be reasonable…" the dark-haired man begged, but he was interrupted.

"Reasonable, Mr. Sharp!? That was a bona-fide ghost down there! I've seen enough fake ones to know! I quit!"

Angrily, the diver stormed away from Mr. Sharp, leaving him fingering his thick beard worriedly.

Mystery Incorporated clambered out of the Mystery Machine to intercept the diver's path. Almost instantly, the man's angry expression softened to a grin. "Hey, gang! What are you all doing here?" His grin changed to a frown. "If this is about that Chupacabra down in Acapulco, I had nothing to do with it."

Velma laughed. "You're not in trouble, Tiger," she told the ex-con. **(A/N: The gang met Tiger is **_**Twenty Thousand Screams Under the Sea**_**)** "We just had a few days off and thought we'd see some of our old friends." She surreptitiously tossed a snack towards Scooby to get him away as she quickly filled Tiger in on the details of Scooby's birthday bash.

"I'll be there," he promised. "Now, I've got to get going, but I think they need your expertise back there." He lowered his voice to a stage whisper. "There's a ghost haunting a treasure-filled shipwreck at the bottom of the sea." The gang expressed their catchphrases of shock as Tiger continued. "It's a woman ghost and they say she's looking for her daughter who vanished overboard the night the ship sank."

"Uh huh…" Velma began skeptically. "Sounds like every other ghost story: as fake as a three-dollar bill."

The ghost of a smile flitted across Tiger's face. "I thought you kids would see it that way. Best of luck sniffing out that truth. You have an…annoying good habit of doing that."

As Tiger vanished from the scene, Fred turned to Mystery Incorporated. "Well, gang, it looks like we've got another mystery on our hands!"


	4. Trouble In Scare-adise

Mystery Incorporated strode down the pier towards the beach where a man and woman stood surveying the shoreline. Fred cleared his throat softly, causing the pair to turn around.

"Hello?" the man asked, stroking his beard warily. "Can I help you?"

Fred held out a hand. "We're Mystery Incorporated, a group of ghost chasers. We heard that you might need some help…"

The man's grey eyes lit up excitedly. "Ghost chasers? That's exactly what we need." He grabbed Fred's outstretched hand and pumped it rapidly. "Honey, this is the greatest news ever! We're back in business!"

The woman pursed her lips. "Of course we are, Lucas," she sighed, fiddling restlessly with her jade necklace.

Lucas frowned. "What's wrong, Sarah?"

"Oh, nothing," she replied in a tone that didn't sound like 'nothing.' She pulled her mid-back red hair into a ponytail and secure it with a bejeweled clasp. "Just one more month or three of you being out all hours of the day and night searching for some musty old bones."

"Sarah…" Lucas whined. "I thought you knew what you were getting into."

Mystery Incorporated stood by helplessly and prayed this wouldn't turn into a nasty fight.

"I thought so, too," she spat, turning on her heel and stalking up the beach.

"Sarah, wait!" Lucas called, but Sarah had already vanished from view. With a long-suffering sigh, he turned to Mystery Incorporated. "I'm terribly sorry. That's my fiancée, Sarah Hill. She has a little bit of a temper, but she's really a lovely woman."

"So what's going on with this shipwreck?" asked Velma.

Lucas sighed. "Well, I'm an archaeologist studying underwater finds, and this is our latest discovery: the _St. Anne, _a ship that went down nearly a century ago. It's rumored to be filled with millions of dollars in rare artifacts." He laughed nervously. "Of course, I'm only interested in their historical value..."

"And what about the ghost?" Fred prompted. Shaggy and Scooby covered their ears as though not hearing it would keep it from scaring them.

"Well, there's a story attached to the ship, about a woman named Claire Bennett and her daughter Isabella. They were separated when the ship crashed, and it is said that Claire still searches for her daughter from beyond the grave."

Daphne shivered. "Jeepers, sounds terrifying…"

Lucas scoffed. "I'm sure it's just some glowing seaweed or a passing dolphin fueling all these rumors. But I'd really appreciate you all taking a look into things."

Fred saluted. "Will do. Okay, gang. It's time to split up!"


	5. Rising Suspicions

As Fred, Shaggy and Scooby clambered into the scuba gear Lucas provided and dived down into the deep, Velma and Daphne went with Lucas to see what Sarah knew about the ghost.

"Sarah owns a small jewelry store on the beachfront," Lucas explained as the trio shuffled over the sandy dunes. "She makes the most beautiful necklaces and earrings."

As they entered the store, a small bell tinkled slightly and Sarah exited the back room with a smile. "Hello, and welcome to— oh, it's you."

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Lucas stammered as Sarah fixed him with a glare so vicious it made him run out of the store in fear.

"Thank goodness!" a haughty voice called from the back room as a plump woman in a black dress waddled out to the front of the store. Her black hair was fastened into a severe bun. "I had hoped that ruffian would not stay long." She fiddled with the strand of pearls around her neck. "I still don't know what you see in that man."

"Oh, Mrs. Owen, I'm not sure what to do. I love him, and then he does something stupid and then I hate myself for loving him, and then he does something else to make it all worthwhile."

"Well, after my seventh husband, I learned that men are a waste of time."

It was clear from the conversation that both women had quite forgotten Velma and Daphne were standing there. Velma cleared her throat softly, causing the two women to jump in shock.

"Oh, hi!" Sarah gulped, blushing furiously. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, we'd like answers," Velma replied.

"Answers?" Sarah parroted.


	6. The Seaweed is Always Greener

**(A/N: I'm back, everyone! It's been a crazy few weeks and, safe to say, this whole 'real world' thing is kind of kicking my butt. But I'm back to semi-regular uploads, I promise.)**

Fred, Scooby and Shaggy swam down to the shipwreck. In the near-darkness of the ocean floor, the ship skeleton loomed ominously like a slumbering sea monster. The trio flipped on their headlamps to see what they clues they could find.

Fred swam into the ship's hold and flipped on his headlamp for some light. He looked around at the treasures amid the timbers and rotted wood. The light played over gold coins and tarnished statues that sparkled and shimmered in the beam.

Meanwhile, Shaggy and Scooby made their way into the galley for forgotten food (and maybe some 'extra-fresh' seafood as well) Scooby peered through a porthole and yipped in fright.

Shaggy, concerned, swam over to the porthole and looked in as well. He was shocked to see his own reflection staring at him. He motioned Scooby over and they two of them made faces at themselves in their reflected images.

Eventually, they got bored and moved away from the porthole, only to find themselves face-to-ghostly-face with Claire! The dark-haired woman wailed eerily and chased after the dog-and-detective duo!

They sped through the ship and grabbed Fred from the hold, towing him to the surface with the ghostly woman hot on their tails.


	7. A Cup of Tea

Sarah flipped around the CLOSED sign on the front door of her shop and slipped into her back room, where Velma, Daphne and Mrs. Owen sat around a rickety table in the corner.

"Tea?" Sarah asked, going over to the cupboard and extracting some chipped mugs and dusty off-brand tea bags.

Velma waved the mugs away. "No thanks, Ms….uh…"

"Sarah. Just Sarah is fine," the red-haired woman replied, setting the mugs back in the cupboard before sitting down. "And this is Paulina Owen, an old friend of the family. How can I help you?"

"We were just hoping you could tell us more about the ghost in the shipwreck," Daphne said, scooting her chair closer to the table.

Sarah grimaced. "Well, it's a little bit of a personal story, I'm afraid." She sighed and leaned her chair back to reach a framed photo on a nearby table. A thin woman sitting on a stiff-backed chair smiled back from the frame. A small child clutching a doll sat in the woman's lap.

"This is my great-great…well, a whole bunch of 'greats' grandmother, Claire Bennett with her daughter Isabella. They were both passengers on the St. Anne, the shipwreck my fiancée is excavating. The ship met with tragedy and sank below the waves, but the legends live on about Claire still searching for her lost daughter."

"Jinkies," Velma breathed.

"Yes, well, legends have a way of taking over," Paulina interjected. "I remember when I played Lady Macbeth in…" she lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "…The Scottish Play. No one dared to speak its name aloud, lest the curse strike us down. A bit of old nonsense, I guess, but it illustrates how legends form. Now, when I played Peter Pan…"

After several stories from Paulina's acting career, Sarah suddenly tipped a cup over into her lap. "Oops! Oh my, I've spilled!"

"Clumsy girl," Paulina sniffed indignantly.

"Here, let me help you with that!" Velma exclaimed, leaping up from her seat and escorting Sarah out of the room.

"Club soda, stat!" Daphne shouted, following Velma and Sarah quickly.

Once safely out of earshot, Velma looked at the 'stain.' "There is no stain, is there?" she whispered quietly.

"No, I didn't even have tea in that cup. I just wasn't sure how to get out of that situation," Sarah whispered back. "Mrs. Owen is one of my dearest friends, but if she ever gets talking about her acting career, it could be hours before she winds down."

"Well, thanks for rescuing us," Daphne said.

"Oh, it's no trouble. I figured you would pick up on the hint. Now, is there anything else I can help you with?"


	8. A Ghostly Glow

Fred, Scooby and Shaggy strode along the beach, kicking off their wet scuba gear and changing back into their regular clothes. Lucas met them at the Mystery Machine.

"So, what did you find?" he asked cautiously, as though afraid of the answer.

"Like, it's like a real ghost!" Shaggy exclaimed loudly.

"Reah! Reah!" Scooby barked in affirmation. "Real rhost!" He leaped up into the air and began floating inexplicably. "Boooooo!" he wailed before returning back to earth.

Lucas tiredly massaged his head with one meaty hand. "I was afraid of that."

As Scooby's paws touched down in the sand, Fred suddenly noticed something stuck to his fur. "Hey, Scoob, hold still." Gently, he pulled the object free of his matted fur and examined it carefully.

"Like, it looks like seaweed," Shaggy proclaimed.

"But not just any seaweed," Fred finished. "Glowing seaweed. Like that _phosphora-whatever_ that Velma found during the Captain Cutler case."

"_Phosphora Paracium?" _Lucas echoed, taking the seaweed from Fred's grasp. "This is not _Phosphora Paracium_, simply seaweed that has been doused in glowing paint of some sort."

"Glowing paint?" asked Fred. "Hmmm…"


	9. Setting the Trap

Sarah, Velma and Daphne left the jewelry shop, inventing some excuse about going to the dry cleaners in order to return to the beach. "I wonder what the guys found out while we were gone," Velma mused as they approached their friends.

As Sarah and Lucas tenderly reconciled, Scooby, Shaggy and Fred quickly informed the girls of the glowing seaweed they'd found.

"Jinkies…" Velma murmured, taking the seaweed and examining it. "What IS this stuff? It's not as thick as paint, but not quite…"

"I know what that is!" Daphne exclaimed, thrilled to be useful for once. "It's Eudora Truffle's Magic Mud — stage makeup — with a touch of phosphorescent powder to make it glow."

"Hmmm…makeup? Jinkies, I think I know who our phantom is, but we'll need to catch it in the act to be sure."

Fred thought for a moment. "I've got it!" he announced excitedly. "I'm going to need a blowtorch, some peanut butter and a pineapple."

The gang, used to such weird requests, followed suit and hurried off to gather the requested items.

An hour later, the gang reassembled. "Okay, so I get the blowtorch and the peanut butter…" Velma gasped, handing over the trap components. "But what's with the pineapple?"

Fred grinned. "I'm hungry. Shaggy and Scooby aren't the only ones who get the munchies every now and then, you know. Now c'mon, let's trap a phantom!"


	10. Just Keep Swimming

Thirty minutes and four Scooby Snacks later, Scooby and Shaggy reluctantly dived down into the murky depths in search of their mysterious phantom. "Like, maybe we're luck, Scoob," Shaggy crackled on the two-way radio in their helmets. "Maybe this is a no-haunting zone."

"Ree-hee-hee-hee-hee!" Scooby chuckled. "Rho haunting. Rhunny Rhaggy."

Suddenly, a high-pitched screech sounded from behind them. Dread mounting, the dog-and-detective duo turned to see the ghost of Claire swimming towards them! She glowed like a sinister nightlight in the near darkness as she darted towards the two.

"Like, I guess she didn't think it was that funny! C'mon, Scoob!"

"Rhy'me rwimming! Rhy'me rwimming!" Scooby gasped, pedaling his flippered paws desperately.

The ghost, undaunted, chased after them with an unearthly howl. "Bring me my baby!" she hissed darkly.

"Up, Scoob! Up to the surface!" Shaggy panted, quickly beginning his ascent despite the risks. Scooby followed suit, rising up towards the beach. Claire still followed them, her claw-like hands reaching desperately for them.

On the beach, Fred helped Shaggy and Scooby out of the water as they clambered onto the sand. "She's coming!" he called to Velma and Daphne. "Throw the switch!"

At those words, Velma and Daphne pulled a lever and a large net swooped down into the water and scooped up the floundering Claire. As she struggled to free herself, the net deposited her safely onto the beach.

"We caught her!" Fred cheered, smearing a glob of peanut butter onto a slice of pineapple and eating it (causing bottomless pits Scooby and Shaggy to react with disgust).

"But who is it?" Daphne asked.

"It's very simple," Velma replied smugly. "The ghost of Claire Bennett is none other than…"


	11. The Mystery is Revealed!

"…Paulina Owen," she finished, pulling off the actress' wig.

Lucas and Sarah arrived onto the scene and gasped in shock. "Mrs. Owen! But why? How?" Sarah gasped.

"The why is easy," Fred interjected. "There's a fortune of valuables down in that shipwreck. She knew about the legends of the shipwreck – and the ghost surrounding it – and thought she could make a fortune."

"All of her acting skills came in handy for playing the ghost," Velma continued. "She knew all about glowing makeup and holograms from her performer days, and used them to scare everyone away."

"Mrs. Owen, I…I can't believe it…" Lucas gasped. "We trusted you…"

"I'm sorry, Lucas," she sighed. "I…well, I just got greedy. No one needs an old washed up has-been actress, and I…I just couldn't make ends meet."

"If you needed money, you could have just asked us," Sarah replied. "We'll always be happy to help a friend in need."

Paulina hung her head. "I suppose you'll be calling the police now."

"No," Lucas said at last. "I'm exhausted. We'll deal with all this in the morning." After thanking everyone profusely, Paulina left the scene, leaving Lucas and Sarah alone with Mystery Incorporated.

"Thank you…for everything…" Lucas said, offering his hand for one last round of hand-and-pawshakes.

"We're always happy to help," said Fred, accepting Lucas and then Sarah's proffered hands.

Sarah sighed, staring out over the ocean as the sun drifted below the horizon. "I wonder if, somewhere out there, Claire will find her daughter…" she stopped and stared. "…wait, is that…"

A dark shadow appeared in midair, coalescing into a woman-shaped figure in a grey dress. Mystery Incorporated stared, mouths agape, as the floating woman opened her arms wide. A tiny girl in a pink party dress materialized and dashed towards the woman.

"_Mommy!" _the ghost girl shouted as she leaped into her mother's arms.

"_My darling! You're safe! I've looked everywhere for you! Where have you been all these years?"_

"_I was lost. And you always said that when you're lost stay put!" _the girl said matter of factly. _"But you were taking a long time, so I remembered what else you said, find an adult you trust, and I did! I followed them and they took me to you!_"

Claire looked down at the group on the shoreline. She waved at them. _"Thank you for bringing me my daughter. I shall never forget this!"_ And with that, Claire and her daughter vanished without a trace.

Mystery Incorporated exchanged glances with Sarah and Lucas. "Did we really just see what I think we saw?" Velma asked incredulously.

Scooby shrugged. "Scooby-Dooby-rho knows?" he barked.


End file.
